Sheet for bedding

ABSTRACT

A sheet for bedding comprising a large number of short tubes each made of a hard material and open at both ends, the tubes being arranged in rows and columns and connected in a flexible fashion so that they are individually freely movable.

[ 51 May 13,1975

United States Patent [1 1 Kano 1 1 SHEET FOR BEDDING [76] Inventor:

Kazuyoshi Kano, 1-8-1- Minami-cho, Higashikurume-shi, Tokyo, Japan [22] Filed: Jan. 3, 1974 [21] App]. No.: 430,583

Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Assistant ExaminerAndrew M. Calvert f OHM nC MWM m ah ud nn 0 a r. O .1 .1 m n amw o m T nh C.mr. b b nnh RTha b m agflw ffl O "30 .1 BC 6 m A b.m d .W nae e dm m d U f hte a n e oa o cu es w bd v eunavm e 4 .a M... .3H R m B N :3 E 1 M dT n mm4 G In s "m5 n cT N" A .U. e m m rT n m n c D r E "3 m& P a a m C in Smk UIF 1]] 218 555 5 III. 1.

2,628,046 2/1953 5/334 X 7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures SHEET FOR BEDDING BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a sheet for bedding purposes, and particularly one which has good ventilating properties and specific supportive function.

According to the invention there is provided a sheet for bedding comprising a plurality of short tubes constituted of relatively hard material and having opposite open ends, said tubes being arranged in juxtaposition in rows and columns, and means connecting said tubes in an assembled fashion in which they are individually freely movable.

Preferably, said tubes are a metal or a rigid synthetic material.

According to one embodiment, said means connecting said tube comprises a flexible string.

According to another embodiment, said means connecting said tubes comprises opposite porous elements secured together with the tubes sandwiched therebetween.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a sheet according to this invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line IIIl in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line llllll in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of another embodiment of a sheet according to this invention,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 4, and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line Vl-Vl in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Numeral 1 denotes short tubes, each of which is made of a metal, a rigid synthetic resin or the like and which is open at both its ends. A large number of such tubes 1 are arranged in juxtaposed relation in rows and columns in a horizontal plane, and the tubes are connected together in a flexible fashion such that they are individually freely movable.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the short tubes 1 are connected together in sequence by means of a string or cord 2 passing therethrough so as to form a resultant flexible planar sheet in which the axes of the tubes 1 are all disposed in the plane of said sheet. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, two front and rear porous cloth elements 3 with aeration or ventilation properties, such as open fabrics, or the like, are stitched together at the periphery and middle portions thereof so as to form several bag portions 4, and the short tubes 1 are enclosed in these bag portions 4 so as to form a flexible sheet.

It is a matter of course that the sheet, thus formed, has large flexibility. Additionally, due to the fact that between the adjacent short tubes 1 there are slight gaps in the lengthwise and transverse directions, the ventilation or aeration property across the front and rear surfaces of the sheet is good, and the aeration through the hollow opening of each short tube 1 is also good.

When the sheet of the invention is used as an underlay for a mattress, any moisture in the mattress is removed owing to the ventilation property of the sheet, and in the case where the sheet is used for a bed for a patient for prolonged medical care it prevents the mattress from being moistened or becoming stuffy by body heat of the patient, so that he can be kept comfortable during the period of the medical care. Furthermore, when the sheet is placed on the upper surface of the mattress, it can serve to suitably give quiet sleep in summer as by a conventional surface, but in this case it is advantageous that the hard or rigid property of each short tube 1 provides a massage action to aid in blood circulation and minimization of fatigue. Additionally, carrying or storing of the sheet can be facilitated by folding or furling it into a small volume.

The short tube 1 is not limited to a round-shape as illustrated, but may be of any desired cross section such as triangular, pentagonal or the like.

What is claimed is:

l. A sheet for bedding comprising a plurality of short tubes constituted of relatively hard material and having opposite open ends, said tubes being arranged in juxtaposition in rows and columns, said tubes having their axes lying in a common horizontal plane with their open ends facing one another, and means connecting said tubes in an assembled fashion in said horizontal plane in which they are individually freely movable, the open ends of said tubes being vertical.

2. A sheet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tubes are a metal or a rigid synthetic material.

3. A sheet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means connecting said tubes comprises a flexible string.

4. A sheet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means connecting said tubes comprises opposite porous elements secured together with the tubes sandwiched therebetween.

5. A sheet as claimed in claim 4 wherein said porous elements are cloth.

6. A sheet as claimed in claim 4 wherein said porous elements are secured together at the peripheries thereof.

7. A sheet as claimed in claim 6 wherein said porous elements are secured together at middle portions thereof to form separate bag portions. 

1. A sheet for bedding comprising a plurality of short tubes constituted of relatively hard material and having opposite open ends, said tubes being arranged in juxtaposition in rows and columns, said tubes having their axes lying in a common horizontal plane with their open ends facing one another, and means connecting said tubes in an assembled fashion in said horizontal plane in which they are individually freely movable, the open ends of said tubes being vertical.
 2. A sheet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tubes are a metal or a rigid synthetic material.
 3. A sheet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means connecting said tubes comprises a flexible string.
 4. A sheet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means connecting said tubes comprises opposite porous elements secured together with the tubes sandwiched therebetween.
 5. A sheet as claimed in claim 4 wherein said porous elements are cloth.
 6. A sheet as claimed in claim 4 wherein said porous elements are secured together at the peripheries thereof.
 7. A sheet as claimed in claim 6 wherein said porous elements are secured together at middle portions thereof to form separate bag portions. 